used before a singular noun to mean one of a group, when it is not a particular one
From this reading Nothing in a hurry, sure.
perform an action, or work out or perform (an action)
From this reading There sat Marco, petrified in the act of trying to get the hang of his miller-gun--turned to stone, just in the attitude he was in when my pile-driver fell, the toy still gripped in his unconscious fingers.
anew
From this reading I must get up a diversion; anything to employ me while I could think, and while these poor fellows could have a chance to come to life again.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading THE YANKEE AND THE KING SOLD AS SLAVES Well, what had I better do?
any thing at all
From this reading I must get up a diversion; anything to employ me while I could think, and while these poor fellows could have a chance to come to life again.
at the same time that; because; in the way that
From this reading THE YANKEE AND THE KING SOLD AS SLAVES Well, what had I better do?
a complex mental state involving beliefs and feelings and values and dispositions to act in certain ways
From this reading There sat Marco, petrified in the act of trying to get the hang of his miller-gun--turned to stone, just in the attitude he was in when my pile-driver fell, the toy still gripped in his unconscious fingers.
(comparative of “good”) superior to another (of the same class or set or kind) in excellence or quality or desirability or suitability; more highly skilled than another
From this reading THE YANKEE AND THE KING SOLD AS SLAVES Well, what had I better do?
a possibility due to a favorable combination of circumstances
From this reading I must get up a diversion; anything to employ me while I could think, and while these poor fellows could have a chance to come to life again.
move toward, travel toward something or somebody or approach something or somebody
From this reading I must get up a diversion; anything to employ me while I could think, and while these poor fellows could have a chance to come to life again.
the past of “can”; used for possibility or polite requests
From this reading I must get up a diversion; anything to employ me while I could think, and while these poor fellows could have a chance to come to life again.
diversionnounUS /daɪˈvɜːrʒən/
an activity that diverts or amuses or stimulates
From this reading I must get up a diversion; anything to employ me while I could think, and while these poor fellows could have a chance to come to life again.
used to form questions and negatives, and to give emphasis
From this reading THE YANKEE AND THE KING SOLD AS SLAVES Well, what had I better do?
employverbUS /emˈplɔɪ/
put into service; make work or employ for a particular purpose or for its inherent or natural purpose
From this reading I must get up a diversion; anything to employ me while I could think, and while these poor fellows could have a chance to come to life again.
make plain and comprehensible
From this reading So I took it from him and proposed to explain its mystery.
cause to fall by or as if by delivering a blow
From this reading There sat Marco, petrified in the act of trying to get the hang of his miller-gun--turned to stone, just in the attitude he was in when my pile-driver fell, the toy still gripped in his unconscious fingers.
plural of “fellow” — a boy or man
From this reading I must get up a diversion; anything to employ me while I could think, and while these poor fellows could have a chance to come to life again.
plural of “finger” — any of the terminal members of the hand (sometimes excepting the thumb)
From this reading There sat Marco, petrified in the act of trying to get the hang of his miller-gun--turned to stone, just in the attitude he was in when my pile-driver fell, the toy still gripped in his unconscious fingers.
showing where something starts, or who sent it
From this reading So I took it from him and proposed to explain its mystery.
come into the possession of something concrete or abstract
From this reading I must get up a diversion; anything to employ me while I could think, and while these poor fellows could have a chance to come to life again.
grippedverbUS /ɡrɪpt/
inflected form of “grip” — hold fast or firmly
From this reading There sat Marco, petrified in the act of trying to get the hang of his miller-gun--turned to stone, just in the attitude he was in when my pile-driver fell, the toy still gripped in his unconscious fingers.
hadauxiliary verbUS /hæd/
the past form of “have”, used to form the past perfect
From this reading THE YANKEE AND THE KING SOLD AS SLAVES Well, what had I better do?
be suspended or hanging
From this reading There sat Marco, petrified in the act of trying to get the hang of his miller-gun--turned to stone, just in the attitude he was in when my pile-driver fell, the toy still gripped in his unconscious fingers.
haveauxiliary verbUS /hæv/
used with a past participle to form the perfect tenses
From this reading I must get up a diversion; anything to employ me while I could think, and while these poor fellows could have a chance to come to life again.
a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading There sat Marco, petrified in the act of trying to get the hang of his miller-gun--turned to stone, just in the attitude he was in when my pile-driver fell, the toy still gripped in his unconscious fingers.
the male already mentioned, as the object of a verb or preposition
From this reading So I took it from him and proposed to explain its mystery.
belonging to a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned
From this reading There sat Marco, petrified in the act of trying to get the hang of his miller-gun--turned to stone, just in the attitude he was in when my pile-driver fell, the toy still gripped in his unconscious fingers.
a condition of urgency making it necessary to hurry
From this reading Nothing in a hurry, sure.
the person speaking or writing, as the subject of the verb
From this reading THE YANKEE AND THE KING SOLD AS SLAVES Well, what had I better do?
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading Nothing in a hurry, sure.
a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned
From this reading So I took it from him and proposed to explain its mystery.
belonging to the thing or animal already mentioned
From this reading So I took it from him and proposed to explain its mystery.
and nothing more
From this reading There sat Marco, petrified in the act of trying to get the hang of his miller-gun--turned to stone, just in the attitude he was in when my pile-driver fell, the toy still gripped in his unconscious fingers.
a male sovereign; ruler of a kingdom
From this reading THE YANKEE AND THE KING SOLD AS SLAVES Well, what had I better do?
a characteristic state or mode of living
From this reading I must get up a diversion; anything to employ me while I could think, and while these poor fellows could have a chance to come to life again.
Marco
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading There sat Marco, petrified in the act of trying to get the hang of his miller-gun--turned to stone, just in the attitude he was in when my pile-driver fell, the toy still gripped in his unconscious fingers.
the person speaking, as the object of a verb or preposition
From this reading I must get up a diversion; anything to employ me while I could think, and while these poor fellows could have a chance to come to life again.
miller-gun
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading There sat Marco, petrified in the act of trying to get the hang of his miller-gun--turned to stone, just in the attitude he was in when my pile-driver fell, the toy still gripped in his unconscious fingers.
used to say something is necessary, or almost certainly true
From this reading I must get up a diversion; anything to employ me while I could think, and while these poor fellows could have a chance to come to life again.
belonging to the person speaking
From this reading There sat Marco, petrified in the act of trying to get the hang of his miller-gun--turned to stone, just in the attitude he was in when my pile-driver fell, the toy still gripped in his unconscious fingers.
something that baffles understanding and cannot be explained
From this reading So I took it from him and proposed to explain its mystery.
not one thing; not anything
From this reading Nothing in a hurry, sure.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading There sat Marco, petrified in the act of trying to get the hang of his miller-gun--turned to stone, just in the attitude he was in when my pile-driver fell, the toy still gripped in his unconscious fingers.
petrifiedverbUS /ˈpetrəfaɪd/
inflected form of “petrify” — cause to become stonelike or stiff or dazed and stunned from fright
From this reading There sat Marco, petrified in the act of trying to get the hang of his miller-gun--turned to stone, just in the attitude he was in when my pile-driver fell, the toy still gripped in his unconscious fingers.
pile-driver
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading There sat Marco, petrified in the act of trying to get the hang of his miller-gun--turned to stone, just in the attitude he was in when my pile-driver fell, the toy still gripped in his unconscious fingers.
deserving or inciting pity
From this reading I must get up a diversion; anything to employ me while I could think, and while these poor fellows could have a chance to come to life again.
past form of “propose” — make a proposal, declare a plan for something
From this reading So I took it from him and proposed to explain its mystery.
the seventh and last day of the week; observed as the Sabbath by Jews and some Christians
From this reading There sat Marco, petrified in the act of trying to get the hang of his miller-gun--turned to stone, just in the attitude he was in when my pile-driver fell, the toy still gripped in his unconscious fingers.
plural of “slave” — a person who is owned by someone
From this reading THE YANKEE AND THE KING SOLD AS SLAVES Well, what had I better do?
for that reason; with the result that
From this reading So I took it from him and proposed to explain its mystery.
disposed of to a purchaser
From this reading THE YANKEE AND THE KING SOLD AS SLAVES Well, what had I better do?
not in physical motion
From this reading There sat Marco, petrified in the act of trying to get the hang of his miller-gun--turned to stone, just in the attitude he was in when my pile-driver fell, the toy still gripped in his unconscious fingers.
a lump or mass of hard consolidated mineral matter
From this reading There sat Marco, petrified in the act of trying to get the hang of his miller-gun--turned to stone, just in the attitude he was in when my pile-driver fell, the toy still gripped in his unconscious fingers.
having or feeling no doubt or uncertainty; confident and assured
From this reading Nothing in a hurry, sure.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading THE YANKEE AND THE KING SOLD AS SLAVES Well, what had I better do?
in or at that place or location
From this reading There sat Marco, petrified in the act of trying to get the hang of his miller-gun--turned to stone, just in the attitude he was in when my pile-driver fell, the toy still gripped in his unconscious fingers.
the plural of “this”: the people or things near, or just mentioned
From this reading I must get up a diversion; anything to employ me while I could think, and while these poor fellows could have a chance to come to life again.
judge or regard; look upon; judge
From this reading I must get up a diversion; anything to employ me while I could think, and while these poor fellows could have a chance to come to life again.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading I must get up a diversion; anything to employ me while I could think, and while these poor fellows could have a chance to come to life again.
inflected form of “take” — carry out
From this reading So I took it from him and proposed to explain its mystery.
toynounUS /tɔɪ/
an artifact designed to be played with
From this reading There sat Marco, petrified in the act of trying to get the hang of his miller-gun--turned to stone, just in the attitude he was in when my pile-driver fell, the toy still gripped in his unconscious fingers.
hard to endure
From this reading There sat Marco, petrified in the act of trying to get the hang of his miller-gun--turned to stone, just in the attitude he was in when my pile-driver fell, the toy still gripped in his unconscious fingers.
moved around an axis or center
From this reading There sat Marco, petrified in the act of trying to get the hang of his miller-gun--turned to stone, just in the attitude he was in when my pile-driver fell, the toy still gripped in his unconscious fingers.
not conscious; lacking awareness and the capacity for sensory perception as if asleep or dead
From this reading There sat Marco, petrified in the act of trying to get the hang of his miller-gun--turned to stone, just in the attitude he was in when my pile-driver fell, the toy still gripped in his unconscious fingers.
being or moving higher in position or greater in some value; being above a former position or level
From this reading I must get up a diversion; anything to employ me while I could think, and while these poor fellows could have a chance to come to life again.
wasauxiliary verbUS /wɑːz/
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading There sat Marco, petrified in the act of trying to get the hang of his miller-gun--turned to stone, just in the attitude he was in when my pile-driver fell, the toy still gripped in his unconscious fingers.
(often used as a combining form) in a good or proper or satisfactory manner or to a high standard (“good” is a nonstandard dialectal variant for “well”)
From this reading THE YANKEE AND THE KING SOLD AS SLAVES Well, what had I better do?
used to ask for information about something
From this reading THE YANKEE AND THE KING SOLD AS SLAVES Well, what had I better do?
at the time that
From this reading There sat Marco, petrified in the act of trying to get the hang of his miller-gun--turned to stone, just in the attitude he was in when my pile-driver fell, the toy still gripped in his unconscious fingers.
whileconjunctionUS /waɪl/
during the time that
From this reading I must get up a diversion; anything to employ me while I could think, and while these poor fellows could have a chance to come to life again.
YANKEEnounUS /ˈjæŋki/
an American who lives in the North (especially during the American Civil War)
From this reading THE YANKEE AND THE KING SOLD AS SLAVES Well, what had I better do?
